Metal reel



March 28, 1939.

L. R. MCGUIRE METAL R EEL 4 Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 26, 1952 2 Sheets INVENTOR March 28, 1939. L. R. MCGUIRE METAL REEL Original Filed 001;. 26, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LENGTH a; PLATE A/C-f/VL INVENTOR Z9 Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Western Electric Company,

Incorporated,

New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 26, 1932, Serial No'. 639,723

13 Claims.

Specifically, this invention contemplates the provision of a reel comprising a tubular metal drum, to each end, of which is secured a metal reel head.

Prior reels designed to be made of steel have been subject to one or more of the below mentioned faults, which have limited their general adoption or usefulness.

The tare shipping weight of reels is of great importance as a reel may be returned when empty to the manufacturer and re-shipped many times during its useful life, with freight charges to distant points frequently exceeding one dollar per hundred pounds and averaging approximately fifty 'cents for all types of shipments.

Therefore weight reduction without sacrificing strength isa consideration of great importance in steel reel design and service. Prior steel reel designs have utilized relatively low strength material due to the necessity of drawing or metal stretching operations involved in their construction. These prior designs in many cases do not lend themselves to an economical distribution of the metal whereby a maximum reel strength can be attained with minimum materials or they have involved excessive material waste in forming; either of these conditions precludes the use of much stronger and more costly alloy steel without involving impractical and prohibitive investments. Further, to attain a maximum in desirable physical properties from a minimum amount of steel, its heat treatment becomes essential and many of the prior designs are not adaptable to such treatment on account of the internal strains brought about during their construction and which under heat treating conditions .would produce excessive warping or cracking of the structure. The design covered by the present invention is almost free from the aforesaid objections and the use of alloy. steel with subsequent heat treatment is contemplated.

Metal reels as heretofore designed have included circular disc-shaped heads or heads of substantially wheel formation having permanent arbor bearings fixed at their geometrical center. A regular feature of such reels is a high concentration of metal, weight and strength in the'head Renewed August 17, 1938 area adjacent to these fixed bearings whereas much of this material could be advantageously distributed at greater distances therefrom. In the design here disclosed, all metal in the heads is kept within that area bounded by the rim or 5 outer ring and the inner ring which is at a very substantial distance from the head geometrical center, thus eliminating the use of fixed bearings in favor of detachable hub elements of minimum weight.

Metal reel heads in regular service are subject to considerable abuse in shipping and handling operations involving both radial and lateral impacts. Due to the weight of material involved and associated limitations prior designs have 15 been poorly balanced with respect to their ability to withstand both radial and lateral forces. In the wheel type reel heads, a limited number of spokes have been used, resulting in substantially longunsupported rim spans having potentially 20 weak points midway between supports. In that invention herewith disclosed, a much more uniformly distributed rim support arrangement is provided and the material in the heads is so disposed that a maximum of strength is provided 25 for both radial and lateral loads with a minimum amount of material.

With common types of reels having fixed arbor bearings or hubs considerable difliculay is some-' times experienced due to the difierence in the, 30 arbor diameters of different manufacturers and their customers equipment. The use of detachable arbor bearings and supports as contemplated by the present invention permits a rapid change of these elements to meet the desired condition. 35

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following detailed description and accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a complete side elevation view of one embodiment of this invention partly broken 40 away for illustration purposes.

' Figure 2 is an end elevation, partly in section along line 2-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sheet metal development layout showing a preferred method of forming the spokes and side protection elements of the reel heads.

Figure 4 is a descriptive line section of a typical spoke formed with parallel sides, taken along line 44 at any radius R. in Figure 3. v

Figure 5 is a descriptive line section of a typical spoke formed with parallel sides, taken along center line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an enlarged descriptive fragmentary view of Figure 3 showing more clearly the location of points c and c in the development layout, 5

In Figure 1, the thin metal inner ring I is of rectangular cross-section, it is concentrically disposed with reference to the somewhat thicker outer ring 2 which forms a tread or tire for the reel head. Placed between rings I and 2 and screwed thereto by means of welding is a corrugated side plate consisting of flat webs 3 and spokes 4 which are integrally formed into a method of corrugating, from a plate of substansubstantially annular shape by a unique method of corrugating whereby a dissimilar contraction of a rectangular plate, resulting from the corrugations causes it to assume an annular form withing the limits here required. This unique method of forming spoke 4 by corrugation will be subsequently described in detail. The combination of parts I, 2, 3, and 4 constitutes a reel head when welded together as shown.

In Figure 2 there is shown two similar reel heads spaced at the opposite ends of tubular metal drum 5. It should be noted that rings 1 of the opposite reel heads project inwardly beyond flat webs 3 of the side protection plate by an amount sufiicient to provide an internal seat for supporting the ends of drum 5. The opposite ends of drum 5 and inside edges of rings I are welded together to permanently secure the reel heads and drum. The combination of two reel heads and a tubular drum as above mentioned constitute a reel.

During manufacturing and un-reeling operations it is desirablethat reels be provided with a means of concentrically positioning a bearing or hub through which may be placed a shaft or arbor for supporting the reel during'rotation. As here disclosed this means consists of a simple detachable beam 6 of tapering tubular cross section having as a part. thereof bearing 1 and radially adjustable screws 8 at each end. These radially adjustable screws 8 are adapted to engage square holes 9 in an inner ring I. The adjustability of screws 8 permits the beams 6 to be removed from within the annular reel when not required for rotative purposes. The beams B and assoeiatedparts I and 8 are of substantial weight and their removal from the reel during transportation results in a substantial economy in freight costs due to the lighter weight of the reel, also as the beams 6 are radially adjustable they may be used with a plurality of reel sizes in an interchangeable manner that eliminates the need of these parts for each reel in service and consequently reduces the investment involved,

Referring to Figure 3; this isa fragmentary sheet metal development of the side protection plate consisting of the previously mentioned flat webs 3 and spokes 4 as formed by a unique tially rectangular shape. In the figure theplate I 01' rectangular shape is represented by that area bounded by the dot and dash lines A to Z and A to Z, this rectangle is shown divided by a plurality or equally'spaced center lines as T, U, V, W, etc. These center lines represent the center lines of spokes 4 in flat projection, they also constitute the radial center lines of the spokes 4 after the platehas been formed into' an annulus. The rectangle is further divided by a plurality of diagonal lines which diverge equally from and on both sides of center lines T, U, etc., the angularity of this divergence depends'upon the angular distance to which the spokes 4 are formed by a crimping or corr'ugating operation inthe process of shaping the'rectangular plate into annular form. These diagcnal dotted lines correspond to the tangential points a and b as shown in Figure 4 at any radius withinthe annulus; the distance between points a and b is equal to the perimeter of the spoke 4 at any given point throughout their length. In corrugating the rectangular plate to form webs 3 and spokes 4 these dotted lines must be brought to an equal distance from each other'throughout their length; to accomplish this result the perimeter of the spokes 4 on the inner edge of the annulus as formed must be in excess of that at the ,outer edge and this unequal contraction of the rectangular plate by, corrugating to form spokes 4 is accomplished by tapering the depth of the corrugations throughout their length.

The shaded areas in the rectangular development Figure 3 and in the annular fragment therewith represent typical flat webs 3 between spokes 4 before and after their formation; the

surface plane of webs 3 is unaffected by the corrugation or forming of spokes 4.

From the above description it will be seen that the depth of the tapered spokes 4 can be varied at will by the simple expedient of increasing or decreasing the distance between points a and b as indicated in the rectangular development. The shaded or flat areas between the spokes obviously bear a fixed relation to their final form, as the boundary lines thereof must be parallel to the center lines T, U, V, etc., after the spokes -material entering into the spoke formation and that entering intothe flat webs. Further, as the operation of forming the spokes involves a bisection of the space between points a and b along typical center line Y, it follows that the taper of spokes, when formed with parallel sides as indicated in Figure 4 will be equal to onehalf of the included angle 9 between dotted'lines as indicated in the rectangular development Figure 3.

From the above facts it will be seen that each of the aforementioned angular developments are a result of their having a definite mathematical or functional relationship to the included angle between spokes 4, which angle is contingent upon the number of equally spaced spokes adopted for use in attaining the desired spoke taper and material distribution.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation along line 5-5 of Figure 3- and discloses a trapezoid in which no two sides are of equal length, the bottom line G and top line F are parallel and at right angles to the diagonal line I,-thus there is formed within this four-sided plane figure two right angle corners, one obtuse and one acute angle corner.

plate and were perpendicular to the non-formed spoke centers T, U, V, etc., it follows that these edges would remain perpendicular to these center lines in their tapered plane created by the spoke formation. The angularity of top line F and bottom line G is objectionable in the completed side plate structure as it is desired that the top and bottom of the spokes be square with reference to inner ring I and outer ring 2 to facilitate welding operations; to accomplish this the trapezoid shape of the spokes as formed is sheared off above line K-K and below line N-N of Figure 5 and the resulting spoke shape is that of a truncated right triangle with respect to a projection of lines I and J to a common point of convergence, the base of this triangle is on line N-N corresponding tothe outer periphery of inner ring I.

Based upon the above facts, the present invention contemplates the formation of a plurality of radial spokes and connecting Webs preferably from a single rectangular piece of metal of uniformthickness, the opposite ends of which are brought into intimate relation to permit welding as along lines AA and Z-Z in the development view Figure 3 or line Illin Figure 1 by the judicious mathematical proportioning of the number of spokes, the depth of the spokes and the length of the rectangular metal plate used. The length of plate required to satisfy the above requirements may bedetermined by the following equations and nomenclature:

P=Metal plate length. (Uniform for all radii R.)

N=Number of spokes in the complete annulus.

6=Angular distance between spokes. (360 degrees+N.)

R=Radius at any point within the annulus.

L Length of spoke perimeter between tangent points a and b. (Fig. 4.)

.B=Width of spokes between points of tangency a and b as per Figure 4.

C=Net chord length between the intersection points of spoke center lines and radius R. This is obtained from the actual chord length c-c indicated in Figure 6 by deducting length B as per Figure 4 to avoid duplication with reference to L which includes length B.

r =Radius of spoke as per Figure 4.

1'=Radius of fillets as per Figure 4.

h=Height of spokes between points of tangency as per Figure 4.

The side protection or interconnecting structure between rings I and 2, consisting of webs 3 and spokes 4 when welded into position provides an exceptionally well balanced distribution of strength and material for the various strains normally encountered by reels in service. The formation of the interconnecting "structure as webs 3 and spokes 4 by the method previously outlined involves no appreciable distention of the metal thus formed, thus nothick or alternately thin areas result in any part of the interconnecting structure as is commonly found in metal reels which are stiffened by formations resulting from metal distending or drawing operations. The spokes 4 may be formed to any desired depth as required to impart the desired structural'strength both laterally and radially, whereas the commonly used rib formations as found in many types of steel reels provide only limited radial and lateral strength as they can not'be formed to appreciable depth on account of the restricted elasticity of the soft metal essential to drawing or distending operations. The varying cross-section of the tapered spokes 4 increases in depth as the inward radial distance from ring 2 increases, hence the strength of spokes t varies with the increasing bending moments associated with forces or-loads laterally applied to the rims or rings 2 of the reel heads.

The deeply formed spokes ti stiffen the reel heads against lateral deflection and also function as columns'in providing a plurality of supports for the outer ring 2, whereas the shallow ribs usually formed in metal reels by drawing methods function primarily against lateral deflection and impart no direct radial support to the rims of such reels.

As no metal drawing or distending methods are involved in the formation of spokes i the metal therein may be much harder and stronger than is practical where the use of distending methods are involved in shaping the metal. In that design here disclosed it is contemplated that all I parts of the reel shall be heat-treated or tempered and soft metal adapted to be shaped by drawing or distending means is not adapted for use where tempering operations are contemplated to attain maximum strength with minimum ma.- terial.

The metal in all sections of the interconnecting is secured to the innerring I, also that the spokes 4 taper throughout their length in a manner whereby a maximum spoke resistance to lateral deflection is attained with increasing inward radial distances from the rim or ring 2. Attention is also directed to the fact that inner ring I extends laterally inward beyond the faces of webs 3 to form a continuous internal seat for the support of tubular metal drum 5 in a manner which increases its resistance to inward collapse when it is externally loaded, the internal seat thus formed eliminates the necessity for the frequently used metal drum flanges, support rings, etc., commonly found in metal reel designs. The internal seat thus formed by the inward projection of ring I eliminates the need of. special formed accessory parts and reduces thev manufacturing cost and weight of the reels thus provided.

The drawings and description of the invention here disclosed are based on the use of a side plate structure interconnecting rings I and 2 formed from a single piece of rectangular plate, this is not an essential requirement as the webs 3 and spokes 4' may be formed from a plurality of plates welded together after forming. As indicated in the drawings a total of twenty-four spokes have been utilized in the interconnecting structure formation for simplicity of disclosure; however a greater or less number may be found desirable to meet specific conditions occurring with reels for varying loads and diameters.

Having thus described my invention in connection with an illustrative embodiment thereof, to the details of which I do not desire to be limited, what is claimed as new andwhat is desired p to protect by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

' tours above mentioned.

What I claim is: 1. In a metal reel; a head of annular form constructed of two rings concentrically disposed, and

a corrugated interconnecting structure having undulating inner and outer peripheral contours with a substantially uniform circular transverse cross-sectional length existing at all radii between said peripheral contours.

2. In a metal reel; a head of annular form constructed of two rings concentrically disposed, and a corrugated interconnecting-structure having undulating inner and outer peripheral contours with a substantially uniform circular transverse cross-sectional length existing at all radii between said peripheral contours, said interconnecting structure having a plurality of spokes produced by corrugations of tapering depth.

3. In a metal reel; a head of annular form constructed of two rings concentrically disposed, and

a corrugated interconnecting structure having undulating inner and outer peripheral contours with a substantially uniform circular transverse cross-sectional length existing at all radii between said peripheral contours, said interconnecting structure having a plurality of laterally extending tapered spokes radially formed therein, said spokes being of uniform thickness in a.

plane parallelwith the body of said structure and tapering in a plane at right angles to said constructed of two rings concentrically disposed,

and a corrugated interconnecting structure having undulating inner and outer peripheral contours with a substantially uniform circular transverse cross-sectional length existing at all radii between said peripheral contours, and with the magnitude of said undulations uniformly diminishing from the inner to outer peripheral con- 5. In a metal reel; a head of, annular form constructed of two rings concentrically disposed, and a corrugated interconnecting structure having undulating inner and outer peripheral contours with a substantially uniform circular transverse cross-sectional length existing at all radii between said peripheral contours, and with a plurality of laterally extending spokes of tapered shape formed in said interconnecting structure, the angle of said taper being a mathematical function of the annular distance between the spokes.

6. In a metal reel; a head of annular form constructed of two rings concentrically disposed about a plurality of concavo-convex tapering spokes which are an integral part of a corrugated interconnecting structure having undulating inner and outer peripheral contours with a substantially uniform circular transverse cross sectional length existing at all radii between said peripheral contours.

transverse cross-sectional length, said corruga-' of the annulus.

uniform width tached between said rings, said interconnecting structure having a plurality of laterally extending spokes of re-entrant shape so proportioned that the contour length of a circular transverse crosssection of said interconnecting-structure is of substantially equal length at any radius within the boundaries thereof.

9. A metal reel having spaced heads each head having two rings concentrically disposed, a corrugated interconnecting structure attached between each concentric pair of rings, said interconnecting structure having undulating inner and outer peripheral contours with a substantially uniform circular transverse cross-sectional length existing at all radii between said peripheral contours, and a tubular drum with the opposite ends thereof internally supported by and fixed to the outer circumference of that pair of rings internally contacting the interconnecting structure.

10. A sheet material annulus having corrugations at right angles to the plane in 'which the annulus lies and from edge to edge of the sheet of substantial depth at both edges but deeper at one edge than at the other, and annular reinforcing member welded to the inner and outer edges of the annulus.

11. A method of forming a reel comprising rolling rectangular sheets to form undulating corrugations therein of substantial depth throughout the width of the sheets at right angles to the plane of the sheets and deeper adjacent one edge of the sheet than adjacent the opposite edge thereof, thereby to reduce the overall length of'the, material adjacent the edge where the corrugations are deeper, securing a plurality of said corrugated sheets of material along their straight edges to form annular reel heads thicker at their inner edge than at their outer edge, and

securing a drum between the heads to space them a predetermined distance apart.

12. A method of forming a reel comprising forming rectangular sheets with undulating corrugations therein of substantial depth through-- rugated sheets of material along their straight edges to form annular disks thicker at their inner edge than at their outer edge, securing reinforcing members to the inner and outer edges of the annular disks, and securing a drum between the heads to space them a predetermined distance apart.

13. A sheet material annulus having radial corrugations of uniform width and tape depth throughout theirlength extending from the inner to the outer circumferential boundaries LEE ROY MCGUIRE.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. I Patent No. 2,152,525- A March 28, 19 9.

LEE Ro menus.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page'l, second column, line 29', for "difficulay" read difficulty; page 2 first column, line 6, for "screwed" read secured; page 1 second column, line 52, claim -10, for "member" read members; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same mav conform to the record of the casein the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of May, A D. 1959.

Henry Van Arsdale Acting Commissioner of Patents. v 

